Category: poets

I have been writing and making up stories since as far back as I can remember. I work full time as a barista and bar manager at a cafe on Karangahape Rd, although really it’s more of an institution. There I observe the wonderful cast of Krd characters and gather inspiration for both my poetry and short fiction. I take part in the Poetry Live open mic nights most Tuesdays at the Thirsty Dog (also on Krd) and have been a featured reader there during their Woman’s Night event in 2014. I am also an artist and have a BA in Art History from Auckland University.

Sophie’s poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Luz is a Mexican born documentary filmmaker interested in themes of social justice and politics. She has made Aotearoa New Zealand her permanent home and works in the local film and tv industry. Her poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

I am Tulia Gonzalez, 28 years old. I am a nurse specialized in medical research and public health. I’ve lived in the United States, Europe, and currently in New Zealand. I arrived in this country sailing a small yacht (31ft) from the cost of Mexico trough the pacific islands and finally arriving here last year. I started writing in high school. In university I was the editor of the newspaper. I started a Blog in 2014 about my travels and poems in Spanish. I also started an online consultancy of health research and statistics applied to social science.

Writing is not my paid profession, but a pastime I very much enjoy. I primarily write songs, stories and poetry, including scriptwriting, also contributing researched and written material to a published writer. Singing, playing music and art are some other activities I pursue. In future, my creative goals are to turn my writing and other creative projects, into a profession. My creative ideas are inspired by many different areas of life, but are mainly about intense experiences, the extremes that can arise without much warning and have a lasting effect on us, as well as cycles, physical and mental process of how a person might perceive and handle this.

I was born in Taranaki and currently live in Auckland. I worked as a counsellor for ten years and I am now a counsellor educator. I have had poems published in Poetry New Zealand, Meniscus (AUS), poems and short stories published in Takahe magazine, and a short story broadcast on Radio New Zealand. I also write short stories and poetry for children and have had both forms published in The School Journal.

Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

A Tennessee native with a background in hip hop, anthropology and creative writing, I currently live in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. When not working for the rather Orwellian named Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, I write poetry. With my musical background, I consider each poem as a work to be read silently, as well as performed aloud. His poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Luke is a 28-year-old Christchurch-based freelance writer and musician with an interest in New Zealand’s political landscape and countercultures. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, tramping and woodworking. Luke has a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Political Science from Canterbury University. He is currently working on a collection of unpublished short stories and poems. His poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Madison is nineteen, and has lived in almost all corners of Auckland. She works in dentistry by day, but moonlights as a writer and visual artist. She is a keen observer of people, with a penchant for stepping into other people’s shoes and taking a walk. Her poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Janean grew up in South Auckland. She married and had her two children in Canterbury, after which the whole family landed in Dunedin five years ago. Janean was named Runner Up in the TravCom: New Travel Writer of the Year category in 2014. She is a frequent attendee at Creative Writing Dunedin’s Saturday workshops and gratefully acknowledges the support of tutor, Diane Brown. Janean’s poetry is usually inspired by real life events and by the work of her favourite artists, Michelle Evans and Victoria McIntosh. She enjoys walking, yoga, and cooking spicy food. Her poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

I am twenty one years of age and Australian born. I’ve lived in Perth for most of my life but have recently moved to wellington to live with my father who was born here. I first began writing poetry as a young teenager and have become more passionate about writing it as i have gotten older. The theme of this competition really captured my interest and the attached poem really resonated with me when i wrote it, it is entitled Glittering Towers.

I returned to Aotearoa in 2012 after an absence of over 20 years and am living an hour’s walk from my childhood home. Our family lived 5 minutes’ walk from the sea, as my Dad was fond of saying. The water, the tides, the light on water are still everywhere, through whatever I write. It seeps through me to this day, like a tide under the night jetty. No matter how far I have left this sea astern, it has always come back to me in dream or memory.

Peter’s poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Jane is an Australian poet and writer. She has been published widely since the early 1990s. Passionate about travel, she has read her poems at venues in Ireland, England, Canada, Malaysia, Czech Republic and the US. Her most recent book is Days Like These – new and selected poems. She lives in Tasmania with her partner Ralph Wessman. Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

After a successful career in PR and marketing communications, Beverly Martens is now concentrating on her own creative writing. To this end, she moved from Wellington to Dunedin in 2006 to enroll in Diane Brown’s writing courses and writes short stories and poems between grappling with her first novel. Beverly has had poems published in both the Otago Daily Times and a ‘parenting’ anthology (despite not having children) unless, of course, you count her delightful, sprightly 14-year old terrier, Curly. Her poetry has been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

I am a researcher on the teaching of thinking in the School of Psychology, at the University of Auckland. I have been publishing poetry over the last 7 years, with poems appearing in a number of New Zealand journals, including Poetry New Zealand. My first book of poetry, called ‘Twin Threads’ was launched this January, 2015.

Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Geum is a cross-over from Korea in New Zealand. She is a student of creative writing, who is currently exploring translinguistic understanding of a single historical moment. Her works has appeared in Takahe and Brief. Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Jeni is a teacher and writer from Christchurch, New Zealand. She has a keen interest in Victorian literature and history. She is a member of the Christchurch branch of the International Dickens Fellowship, and editor of their magazine, Dickens Down Under. She has published poems, short prose pieces and short stories in various publications including the Christchurch Press, Takehe, JAAM, the Quick Brown Dog, NZPS anthology 2014, and 4th Floor. She is secretary of the Christchurch Poets’ Collective. Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Janet lives in Koputaroa in Horowhenua and is a Master of Creative Writing student at Massey University. Her poems have been published in a fine line, bravado, brief, Poetry NZ, snorkel, takahe and New Zealand Poetry Society anthologies. Her essay “Listening Harder: Reticulating Poetic Tradition in Michele Leggott’s ‘Blue Irises'” is included in the 2015 issue of the Journal of New Zealand Literature. Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

My name is EWenWong and I am a twelve year old student of Cobham Intermediate in Christchurch. I am very passionate about writing, in particular poetry. I like writing to let my thoughts scrawl across the paper and I think that what you write should reflect what you think or believe. My biggest poetry accomplishments to date include being published numerous times in NZ Poetry Box, being included in the 2014 and 2015 Rattle Young Poets Anthologies and two poems being published in the Otago Daily Times Extra! Publication. In the future, I want to be a meteorologist. Poem published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Jennifer Ayoub is a poet from the Philadelphia area whose parents are Palestinian Christian. She has written a few reflections and personal essays on the subject of the meaning of peace for Palestinians and Israelis in a small national cultural heritage magazine called “Hathihe Ramallah.” She has also done work as a national peace organizer for the Student Peace Alliance advocating for the campaign for a US Department of Peace. In March 2014, she has helped to organize a national Palestinian Christian education conference sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee whose headquarters are in Philadelphia, PA.

I am doing my Masters in Electrical Engineering in the UK. My hobbies are travelling, numismatics, watching movies, listening music and quite a few more. I wrote this poem in the year 2009 during my Bachelors’ days. Hope I win this competition.

My name is Mitchell Radcliffe and I am fourteen years old. I go to school at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch and am currently a year 9. I love playing sport and I am just starting to enjoy writing with my english teacher being a real inspiration to me.

I have been writing poems for a number of years, and mainly enjoy humorous verse. This started when the new intake of Doctors did their time in Obstetrics.
Six weeks in this environment led to many funny poems which they and the staff enjoyed.
I have won a few competitions and been published in magazines, newspaper, radio, website, library, church notices, published also in two Australian and two NZ anthologies.
I have been widowed for five years and our two children do not live in Dunedin so this pastime gives me much pleasure.

My name is Simi Desor. I come by way of both India and Canada, and have lived in Christchurch for 17 years. I live with my kiwi husband and our children. I am part of the Hagely Writer’s Institute and I also work as an independent registered psychologist. I have written ever since I can remember. I love the breath and movement of the written word, and I also love the power of writing to convey meaningful thoughts & messages.

My name is Kayleigh and I think poetry is pretty damn awesome. I write to express and to be able to replay the feelings I have experienced for myself and others. I do this to not only from my own point of view but also from I what I feel would be the story or reality for someone else. I love the idea of being able to captivate many different emotion and make them be heard.

For a decade I worked with exotic animals. It was then I learned about silence, patience, the need for acceptance. I learned about life and death in ways that are only now, many decades later being a part of who I am, who we all are.
I have travelled and lived in other countries. I have learned to understand and respect all people, living things. I now work in health advocacy/education with migrants and those from refugee backgrounds. I love to write

Nathan is a Christchurch-born aspiring playwright and amateur poet. His passion for the written word has been rapidly growing since moving up to Auckland and graduating from the New Zealand Broadcasting
School.

Karen Rees was born in Wales and has resided in Aotearoa since 2000. She is an artist and writer, recycling words and discarded stories, frantically digging to find beauty and truth in everyday lies. Her poetry has been described as “full of existential angst”…

Jack Wood (Ngai Tahu; Ngati Aparima / Ngati Moe) is an adult educationalist and international development consultant. He also operates a number of charities that work with the development of the rural poor and indigenous rights. Jack (Haki) is mainly published in Asia.

Arianna Sikorski is a Los Angeles poet and artist, originally born and raised in Alaska. She has a B.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California and is working to publish a compilation of her poetry entitled Brave the Awkward as a selected participant of the Community Literature Initiative program. She has performed throughout Los Angeles as well as exhibited artwork, inspired by her poems, at the Park Exhibition Center, Jeannie Madsen Gallery and Pico House Gallery in Southern California. Currently, she is traveling in New Zealand and part of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program.

I’m a Mum, a teacher, a gardener and a reader, living in Avondale in Auckland, and striving for a better world. But not striving very hard, because bossing teenagers around for a living kind of saps the energy, you know?

Jayne lewington lovell was born in England and moved to New Zealand in 1972. Her journey took fifteen months as the family travelled overland starting from London, through Europe and passing through countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey and India, including a three month stay in Australia. Nowadays she works in public libraries but in previous times taught English language and co-ordinated disability support for tertiary students. She has a BA (honours) in Ethnomusicology & Education; and was included in the group chapbook ‘New Beginnings’ after attending the 2012 creative writing workshop series – ‘New Kiwi Women Write Their Stories’.

Coming from Baku, Azerbaijan I have always loved writing; they take extreme likeness to literature. I’ve been writing since the age of 8, beginning my experience in poetry/stories through song-writing. Moreover, I enjoy dancing, painting, photography, music as well as snowboarding, football and other various sports.

Hi my name is Paige Bowman and I am ten years old. I participate in a number of activities including gymnastics, swimming, art and tennis. I am also on my school council. I am in year six at Paparoa Street School and I have recently taken an interest in writing. I have started writing a story that I’m hoping will be published once it is finished. I also enjoy writing poetry.

Andrew blissfully lives in Forrest Hill with a wife,a daughter and a cat. He only started writing poetry recently after attending one of Dietrich John Soakai’s crash courses in poetry. He works for a tiling company and believes the opposite of poverty is sharing. So far his only contributions to the published word have been on performance measurement and workers compensation and he desperately doesn’t want it to end that way.

Name: Molly Reid
Age: 10
School: Waimairi
Hobbies/Intrests: Singing, kapa Haka, Music,
School, Poetry Writing, Drama, Netball.
For my friendships poem I was inspired because they would always support me when I needed help. I knew that my friends they were willing to help me.
I also was inspired with my family poem because recently my uncle has been visiting the hospital regularly because he has cancer and I want to make my poem express emotions that I feel when he is there.
I was inspired with my peace poem by seeing that the world needs peace and I want to help to do it.

I am at present pursuing my bachelor’s degree in English Literature.Literature is the love of my life. I have been inspired by the great poets to try my hand at poetry.Many of my poems and articles have been published in my school journal as well as in my college journal.I have also sent my poems on many online journals.

Captivated by verse, words and the stories that these create, I am a young exploratory writer – seeking to experiment with different mediums, styles and topics. I believe we are only people through people; and words are the beginning to being able to reach out and fill those degrees of separation between each and everyone of us.

Rapatahana (Te Atiawa, Ngati Te Whiti) is published widely internationally across a raft of genre. He lives with his family in Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong, with homes also in Aotearoa-New Zealand and in Pampanga, Philippines.

Kerry Dalton is a graduate of Victoria University (BA Hons in History and English Literature)and of the Whitireia Writing Programme. She has had short fiction published in ‘100 NZ short short stories’ and ‘A Magpie stole my heart’. She lives in the sea side village of Paekakariki on the Kapiti Coast.

Kerrin P. Sharpe is a teacher of creative writing. Her first anthology “three days in a wishing well” was published in 2012 by VUP. Her second anthology “there’s a medical name for this” will be published by VUP in August 2014. She was also an oxford poet 2013 (Carcanet UK). Her poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Hi my name is georgina, I am 11 Years old and go to Selwyn House School. I love Performing Arts 🙂 I have been in my school spelling bee quiz twice. I have received the schools Performing arts Scholarship, I have been awarded The International Baccalaureate cup in year 4. I enjoy hanging with my friends and taking goofy selfies with them. I am part of UNESCO, we help people across the world, Our current project is raising money for our school Sponsored child. I am part of a Writing Group that only the top 3 writers in the class get into.

Vivien Lei has been a poet first and foremost for most of her life. She loves words. The first poem she ever wrote, at age 12, placed first for her age category in the Auckland-wide Montana Poetry Day competition that year. Celebrated New Zealand writer Iain Sharp has described Vivien as “a born poet” with “succinct, graceful, evocative and musical” writing. She has since over the years been published in numerous local publications including New Zealand’s largest student magazine Craccum. On the side, she is the Head English teacher at NCEA Campus and is halfway through a Law conjoint degree.

I’m a 17 year old girl, who’s words get the better of her. I’m passionate about this world, and saving what we have left, through words its been destroyed and i believe through words it can be restored. i attend Waimea College in Richmond, Nelson, NZ and am currently the schools BOT rep. I may still be young but i’ve seen plenty of this world, we’re living on the edge of a make or break society and i want to help make a difference.

I am a printmaker and storyteller
I explore identity exposing and celebrating the extra in the ordinary.
Contemporary printmakers are innovative and inventive, embracing new media and trans disciplinary practice. Without this verve the extinction of printmaking is inevitable, this is the matrix and tradition I am building my work on.
I work at Northland Region Corrections Facility supporting prisoners in distance education, facilitating art, creative writing and personal development courses. I am a mother, wife and immigrant from the United Kingdom born to Welsh Parents.

Murphy’s poems have been published in over 100 magazines and ezines in 17 different countries world wide. He is currently working on a new play, Lenny’s Wake for which he is looking for a publisher and stage production

Student of English Honours at Women’s Christian College. A short story published in the college magazine, presented a paper on the topic ‘Admixture of Revolutionary Idealism and Optimism in Shelley’s ‘Prometheus Unbound”‘ at Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College.
The poem has been penned down by me in order to bring out a message to the posterity about the increasing violences in recent times..especially the violences meted out towards women..it is only to influence people for a peaceful and better society..

I am a student at the University of Auckland who is pursuing his honours degree in European Studies. Having recently graduated with a degree in Marketing and Italian, I would love to work full-time with words. After a period of time spent in Europe, I can now speak French and Italian, albeit with varying degrees of success. Writing has always been a source of enjoyment, but aside from it, my interests include soccer and photography.

As a writer, one of the best things to write is poetry. There are so many types of poetry, happy, sad, meaningful, mysterious, etc . I am an eleven year old girl and I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. I like to do karate and read in my spare time. I like sport and can can whip up a great story or poem. Hopefully you like my poems.

Je m’apelle Jaque. I am a 9 year old poet , lucky enough to recently visit France and England! For a Christchurch/kiwi born kid it was very exciting! My favourite things about Paris were the Metro, and the busyness of a big City. My writing teacher at school suggested I submit a poem to this competition. I wanted to make my poem about my French experience. I love writing poetry, it helps me express my thoughts. We enjoy peace in Christchurch, and it was exciting to be in a noisy and vibrant City so different to home.

Somewhere between Mrs. Katz’ 7th grade class assignment to write a haiku and Mrs. Stonefield’s 8th grade introduction to English Literature, I fell in love with distilled language, and I’m still trying to make Moonshine.
—

Born in Hollywood, California. Studied in the US and UK. Writer and visual artist living in Los Angeles.

My name is Ruby and I am eleven years old. I go to Waimairi School in Christchurch.
I love writing poetry and putting it on my blog Industrial Arts of The Mind. I also like cooking, science, dancing and I.T. I like writing poetry because I find that I can express what I want to say better and make what I want to say have more emphasis. I had cancer when I was little and I think this may have affected how I look at things.

I live in a van, it’s a real struggle. I came to New Zealand ten months ago (from England) with hopes, dreams, and a naive outlook that was promptly dashed on the rocks before I was even ashore. I also graduated with a degree in English last year, but what are you going to do with that? Enter poetry competitions that’s what.

Jenny Clay works in a library and retreats to write in the Waitakere bush. Her poems have been published in Takahe, New Zealand Poetry Sociaty anthologies, LiveLines, Poetry New Zealand 47, in a book of poetry for shildren, Poetry Pudding, and on the ezines Blackmail press, Fib Review, Southern Ocean Review, and Shot Glass Press.
In 2012 she was runner up in the IWW Kathleen Ireland Poetry Competition. She has been involved in peace organisations, and the environment is one of the concerns within her works

I write poetry for the enjoyment of the art. I believe that a poet must first establish that they can write in rhyme and rhythm and only then move to the more advanced free verse. I have been published by Struggle Magazine, The Blue Collar Review, Burning Books, Jerry Jazz, IWW Newspaper, Protest Poems, Flute, Black Magnolia, Left Curve, She Mom, Whisper, Vox Poetica and others. Though political or moral in nature I write in various forms.

I have a poetry book entitled “Murmurings of a Mad Man” due out in September.

I have been married over eight years to my wife Sylvia. I am a member of the Church of Christ at Chancellor Avenue where I sometimes preach and work on out reach.

I also recently won the Joe Hill Poetry Labor Prize where I read my poem Tea With Joe Hill, in front of a crowd of over six hundred people in Banning Park, Los Angeles.

I currently serve as secretary for Rhyming Poets International and I am a member of the Revolutionary Poet’s Brigade.

My name is Nehemiah Isamotu. I’m a 24 year old man from a developing country in West Africa known as Nigeria. A host of words could describe me – writer, pertinacious, perspicacious, compassionate, but at my very core I’m a passionate Youth learning and living life to the fullest while bringing joy to the world through my various career interests. I pine for a world free from the strife and disorder that colours this world.

I love expression, and poetry gives me the opportunity to be myself. Through my school’s creative writing group I have a safe environment in which to explore my passion. I am part of my school’s Philosophy Society, dealing with moral, and ethical issues of our time. Through the exploration of the past we can teach humanity that we need to change our future. Being in year thirteen means I have to think seriously about my career and I am hoping to get a degree in social work and need to expand my knowledge to pursue a career I believe in.

Gail Ingram writes poetry and short stories, which have appeared in Takahe, Fineline, NZ Poetry, Cordite Poetry Review and Flash Frontier among others. She has been placed in various competitions including Takahe Short Story and BNZ Literary Awards Flash Fiction competition. Every now and then she attempts a novel. Themes that keep cropping up are conservation and family. Her peace is found on the top of a tussock-strewn hill.

Greg Brimblecombe has been writing for over 20 years . Poems accepted on the internet since 1996 . Recently Greg has been organising the Thames /Coromandel Poetry Group , Thames Poets Circle who have been meeting once a month for the past 8 years . In that time they have hosted Poets from NZ, Europe , Australia and the United States . In 2010 the group produced a provincial anthology called “Word Run Like The Tides ” .Greg hopes to be writing Poetry in another 20 years

I am a Chinese girl, deeply loving poem. This is a little poem about making beauty for others, hope people can offer themselves to make a better future. It is actually hard to write poem in English at the first step, but I am grateful to express my feeling in another language.

Szymon is a Sydney based poet whose poems range from the transcendental to the everyday and often engage with those moments that bridge the two.
He has been published in various publications including “T.O.E magazine”, “Thirteen: new writers” and “The Journal of Inter-dimensional Poetry” .
He organizes an event for poetry/performance called “This is not a Pipe open mic”.

Poetzee is…..A visual poet fighting for a lyrical state
Poetry gives me artistic space away from the 9-5 machine we call life, it allows me to be completely honest and open about personal topics I feel strongly about. I like to think of poetry as an open book, which I can just keep adding to.
My biggest influences are my fears and anxieties, I hope in a short poem I can open up a dialog for others to listen to, to question or to start appreciating what some of us have.

Jan Hutchison lives in Christchurch. She was educated at Victoria University. She has three
collections of poetry:- The Long Sleep is Over; Days among Trees: The Happiness of Rain.
Her poems are represented in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies and in the forthcoming Essential New Zealand Poems.
collections of poetry: – The Long Sleep is Over; Days among Trees: The Happiness of Rain.

Hi. I’m 15. I live in Huntington, Beach California. I used to live in Hastings, Hawks Bay. My grandparents still live there with my sister. I’m just trying to get my writing out into the world. Hope you enjoy them.

I am a second-year Arts Student at the University of Auckland, and I am currently studying Drama and English with a very keen interest in Creative Writing. My major passion is poetry. I have recently finished a collection of poems, entitled A Coma Anatomy. In 2003, my family and I travelled to Mt. Ruapehu for a skiing holiday. On the second day, I went up the slopes with my Grandfather, who too is a very keen skier. On my way down the run, I, in my nine year-old rebellion, took a jump, not realizing the cluster of rocks sitting on the other side! I take my injury as constant inspiration for my contortion of words

I am from Piha, Auckland. Am living in San Francisco at present for a while, with my husband and 3 children. I am a NZ trained primary school teacher and came out of my poetry closet in April, being a finalist at the Auckland Museum’s Anzac memorial competition with the poem ‘Some Hero’. Since then 2 poems have
appeared on the websites ‘Village Voice’ (for Anzac also) called ‘The Parade’ and ‘Musical Craziness’ debuted on the ‘Rip it Up’ website in early May.

Susan Howard lives on a small farm near Warkworth and works in Auckland city. Her greatest love is to be on the land and writing about the people and life that she encounters. She has been published in “The Typewriter”, “Shot Glass Journal”, and “a fine line.”

I am 60 years old and starting the adventure of writing with an aim to be published. I am my mother’s carer, a mother (of 2) and a grandmother (of2.5), step-gran of 1. An army childhood (constant moving, including to Malaysia), becoming a registered general/obstetric nurse, enlisting in RNZNC, motherhood and all that entails, single parenthood and time spent living in Australia give me a lot of background to use. A cat lover, but not owner now, makes me want to sneak them into stories. Writing and handcrafts are my way of being joyful.

I am a student of Victoria University in Wellington majoring in Media Studies and Design. In my spare time I sketch, write and run. I love to travel and to meet new people as I find other people’s cultures and views highly interesting.
I have always loved to write and find that my studies of contemporary issues inspire much of my creative writing. I am a writer for the New Zealand youth magazine; Tearaway and aim to write for various publications in the future that help to provoke thought about important social and environmental topics.

Lawal Jimoh lives in Lagos where he rises every day at dawn to write and to think of new things on glimmer of twilight before goose flies away from suitcase. His poems have until now remained unshared and undiscovered, except by his family and close friends who are forced to listen to every word he writes, and later feel so passionate to ask for next choice of one word at a time. He is currently working on his first collection of poetry and other writings which he hopes to publish.

I am 9 years old and live in Belmont Auckland. I enjoy playing sports, surfing, reading and writing. I wrote this poem at school because we were learning about Anzac day. I really liked doing it and so I spent lots of my time making it better. I wrote it all by myself without any help and I am very proud of my poem.Where the Poppies Grow

Early morning, blue sky,
soldiers waiting for their turn to die.
They know it will happen,
it always does,
it’s the waiting that really hurts us!

Barbed wire everywhere,
men dying in mid air!
Shouts of sorrow,
screams of fear
and the spitting of bullets everywhere!

Countries ruined,
people dead,
all that is what I’ve read!

We run out into no man’s land
bayonets ready and heroic as!
Then suddenly men around me start to fall
as the machine guns open fire!
They lie there peacefully where the poppies grow!

Few come back,
but not as before,
their lives have been ruined from the war!

Blood is splattered down on the floor,
like water paint!
But instead of fun it causes pain!

Men have died but poppies won’t,
so we’ll remember them to remember those who have died in the war,
Where the poppies grow!

I was born and educated in Hamilton, completed a Masters degree in Latin from Otago University, before attending Christchurch Teachers’ College. Since then I have taught a variety of languages Latin, Greek, Spanish, German and French in schools in Christchurch and Dunedin. I have lived in New Plymouth for the last thirty years and am still teaching languages and Classical Studies. I am married with three adult children.

Bernadette Perez (Poet)
Writing since a teen of Love, heartache , life struggles .
Now Wife, Mother,Grandmother join her in her journey of life transposed into words.
In 1990 received Silver Poet Award from World of Poetry.
Published in The Wishing Well; Musings in 2010. Small Canyons Anthology in 2013

Poems by Monika John, a writer, attorney and world traveler, living in Washington State. Her writings have appeared in various journals and magazines in the USA and UK: most recently Buddhist Poetry Review, Light of Consciousness Magazine, Urthona UK, Penwood Review, Presence International Magazine, Anthology on Tagore, UK, Fungi and Quiet Shorts Magazine, Sathya Sai Magazine, Scheherazade’s Bequest, poetry forthcoming in The Wayfarer and Lalitamba.

Joane Sye is born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She emigrated to NZ in 1971 and settled in Hastings in Hawkes Bay where she has remained. She has three adult children, two of whom also reside in Hawkes Bay. The lovely climate and abundant fruit and easy lifestyle are big attractions. Joan attends the Hawke’s bay Live poets and enjoyes listening to her fellow poets and presenting her own work.
Joan likens her poetry to a living diary of life where moods and emotions can be expresses and shared with family and friends for mutual benefit. Communication is essential.

My name is Rosa Garcia Knight. I am a 14 year old student at St Andrews College. My main interests are performing arts, sports and english. When I am older I would like to either be a journalist, because because I like writing about topical issues and important news, or an actress, because I really enjoyed working last year in a professional Court Theatre production. I am excited to enter my first writing competition and hope it’s the beginning of many.

I started writing poetry when I had my breakdown here in Auckland. I wrote heaps of them. They were my ventilation of emotions, feelings; but I don’t think I wrote any good ones until I went to poetry class at Toi Ora. There I have learnt a lot and there have been improvements. I have never joined any competition before for poetry writing and this opportunity will measure my capability. As I grow my poems acquire strength, or at least so I think. I publish a lot of my poetry on my blog and writing poetry is part of me.

I have been writing poems for peace, ever since I began writing poetry.
One of my first poems published in Live Lines 111 was The Programme Seller. Subsequentaly I was runner up in 2010 in the New Zealand Poetry Society;s Annual intentational competiton.
I am a keen supporter of the Centrefor Peace and Conflict studies based in Dunedin at Otago Univeristy. I often write about multicultural themes and non verbal communication. I think these are important for building peaceful relationships.

I am an aged poet of many years standing. I love to write and belong to the Airing Cupboard Women’s Poetry Group Christchurch. I have had several poems published in various anthologies both here and in Brisbane where I lived for 12 years. My poems have been published in the Press as well and I write stories and memories some of which have brought me success.
My husband passed away 12 months ago and I have recently been putting pen to paper again.

Dr. Rashmi Chandran M.Sc., Ph.D., PDF., FISCA, Naturalist, Artist, Home maker, Philosopher, Writer, Founder & Chairperson, Natural Health and Environmental Research, Coimbatore, India. Her Area of Interest includes Nature, Natural Lifestyle, Natural Health, Traditional Medicines, and Environmental Science. Her academic credentials include Doctorate in Zoology from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and Post-Doctoral Research from Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. Based on her service to science, her name has been listed in Marquis (USA) “Who’s Who in the World” as one of the highest achievers. Her vision with practice of human values and principles within family and preaching is to create self-awareness about natural life style with natural health to uplift the natural life within each mind of people (both rural and urban) to live in peace and harmony with nature and to understand our own nature by conserving the traditional values of biodiversity, cultural diversity and integrity of our nation.
Website:http://rashmichandran.wordpress.com/; Blog:http://drrashminaturallife.blogspot.in/; Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/doctorrashmichandran

I am presently here on earth, planning to stay for a while, to play, learn and share.
Who I am I do not know as of yet, so I’ll skip that part.
I currently spend my time nurturing newbies, practicing my skills of staying present in the moment and engaging with life as it is, as well as practicing the allowing of the sacred art of enjoying myself.

I’m 17 years old, living in New Zealand and desperately interested in human nature and personal turmoil that is beneath the surface of each person. I’m just starting out and hopefully everything can be more real.

Hi. I’m Kathrine Anne M. Maranda, 18, and a third year college student in Polytechnic University of the Philippines taking up Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication.

I try to write poems during my spare time. I started writing serious literary works when I was fourteen and had realize that I was actually enjoying it and might continue doing it for the rest of my life. Also, it would be great if I can gain more knowledge about literature as I am very optimistic in sharing to everyone how we can achieve peace through writing as one form of communication.

Keith (Tauranga, New Zealand) was a newspaper sub-editor for more than 20 years but he now writes to stay sane. He’s been published around NZ (Landfall, Takahe, Trout, brief, Poetry NZ, Catalyst) and increasingly in the UK and US, was highly commended in the 2014 NZ Poetry Society international poetry competition and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. He lives with artist Talulah Belle and a coterie of nutters. His poetry has also been published in “We Society” Poetry Anthology 2015.

Sharon R. Rogers was born in Sacramento, California. She grew up in a rural area outside Sacramento with her parents, two sisters, and two brothers along with several horses, cows, chickens, cats, hamsters, rats, and the family dog. Sharon began writing poetry, short stories, and songs when she was around eleven years old. She has always been adventurous and loved traveling and learning new things. Sharon enjoyed teaching at the elementary school level for several years before becoming disabled after a spinal cord injury. Although mostly homebound now, she still loves to write and uses a writing project as therapy.

Self employed landscape architect by day, occasional poet by night (and sometimes on the weekends). Poetry inspired, or should I say bought on by challenging life events, such as life, death, and the need to write something an hour before standing up in front of two hundred people. If something truly inspires me, it’s seeing positive change in others towards a more peaceful way of living. If I’ve in any way contributed to that, it can bring me to tears.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Thomas Allen is an American writer who moved to New Zealand. His favorite writers include Robert Frost, John Steinbeck, Jack Higgans, Robert Ludlum and Ray Bradbury.

Of Māori Scottish and Irish ancestry, I feel the urge to write when I can no longer deal with the pain and suffering that is projected into my life by way of social network, media and at times having to live within a society that intrudes upon your soul whether you want it to or not. Now in my 50’s, I find I am drawn to the written word as a form of protest at the world and it’s cruelty and a personal release.

Retired teacher/principal who has taught in many schools. Self-published a book recently: “Aunty Alice Teaches a Child to Read and Write Well. ” It reflects my deep interest in promoting language development in children.
Lives in Raglan, writes poetry, short stories children’s stories, and currently working on a biography. Also creates miniature gardens, looks after her dog and cat and four chooks and her large garden.

I am a budding social entrepreneur and youth mental health advocate wanting to create a culture of friendship and co-operation in my lifetime. When my cats finally stop sleeping on my laptop, I enjoy playing around with spoken word. Aside from a few tidbits published when I was 7 (in Flamingo Bendalingo, an anthology by Paula Green) and 13 (in College Herald), I’m pretty new to the poetry scene.

Half a Century, two score & ten and almost all of those lived in New Zealand.
Now seems as good a time as any to start.
I’ve written a few songs, even recorded a couple, and this poem is a song I’ve never recorded, minus the tune.
As for the picture, when you tune out fear, you can experience the peace of tranquillity, and faith will help you let go of the rope.

I have been struggling for a long time to enrich my life through poems and stories, I have published some books in Persian .
My purpose to send these poems is to appreciate the projects that you are expanding it.

An actor by profession I have done just about everything else under the sun between jobs.
I have been writing short stories and poems, mainly for children, off and on for a few years. This has been primarily for my own pleasures so have never tried to get them published. From England originally I have been in New Zealand for the past 32 years. I am married with two grown up daughters. This is the first competition I have entered.

I moved from Australia to Marlborough five years ago, to be a part of my grandchildren’s everyday lives. A decision guided by The Lord, a true blessing. As well as being, “Nana Beth” to my three gorgeous granddaughters I am actively involved at St. Ninian”s Presbyterian Church, Secretary of Christian Women Communicating International (Blenheim), attend Tai Chi 3 times a week, walk everywhere – never drive, enjoy spending time with good friends, love to read and take pleasure in trying to live my life for The Lord.

Of nineteen sixties vintage, and currently residing in the suburb of Kingston in Wellington, New Zealand. Work includes landscape gardening and various forms of social work. Life influences and interests include gamelan music, taichichuan and zen, and an incurable interest in every form of ‘spiritual stuff’, life&death, the universe and everything. Known to dwell in or near communities of artists and composers. Watching clouds and rocks and weeds and and plants and trees and looking after compost worms. Any spare time would be spent wandering aimlessly the mountain ranges of NZ. Educated at Victoria University, Wellington Polytechnic and STSI Solo Indonesia.

Peace is a word, concept, value that I ponder alot. I continue to look for ways to improve the way in which I live, relying on peace to guide my relationships with those I love and those I meet. I live with my civil union partner, whom reminds me to ‘be gentle’ and I hail from a portuguese family (Madeira) who values peace, in a louder way: -) I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland with a nation of people who have continued to look for ways to achieve peace and freedom. My name is Anny da Silva Freitas and I am proud tae be a Portuguese/Scot living in Wellington. I do not consider myself a poet, view poetry as literary adventure.
I sit here and ponder: really is that to much to ask?

I worked in the film and television Industry for the past 17 years principally as an Actor and now as Screen Writer and Director. My Acting history is vast, from the very first role I played in the Feature Film Ruby & Rata, where I played Rata, to the TV role I played as TE HANA HUDSON on SHORTLAND STREET for a three year period and was also acknowledged as a finalist at the 2003 NZ TV Awards for my writing work on the Maori drama series – MATAKU which I was also a series Writer and Director on three of the episodes.

I have been writing poems since I was 13yrs old, and also lyrics for my songs from the same age. I have managed to keep a collection of my favorites. The website aucklandpoetry.com has published a few of my poems and I have recently been looking at ways of making a ‘Coffee Table’ book of my poems.

I am of NZ Maori descent and to the Ngati Porou, Ngati Pu, Tamaterā, and Ngapuhi.

Robynanne Milford is a newly retired General Practitioner in Quakechurch!
She published Songcatcher in 2009 and in 2012 Grieve Hopefully.
She was placed second for “Tidal wave” in the Manuwatu International
Poetry for Performance.
She has been published in Landfall, Takahe, Poetry NZ The Press and Catalyst.

I am Wendy O’Shannessey.
After a lifetime of teaching across all ages, most recently preschoolers, I am about to ‘retire’, but hopefully, I will spend a lot of that time writing children’s stories and poems.
I have written in these two genres throughout my teaching career, but mostly for friends and family and classes I work with. At last I will have time to enjoy writing.
My husband of 43 years, and I are planning on relaxing more, too, with the aid of a campervan. Visiting far-away places in our beautiful country will be inspiring.

I am a 28 year old barista living in Wellington. I also work as a painter and paint by commision. This is my first time entering a poetry competiton. This poem is about someone looking for an answer to their life’s questions and hearing God’s voice for the first time while searching for it.

Born 1936 in Bayreuth, Germany.
Immigrant to the USA in 1958.
Retired secondary & university educator.
Passionate advocate and poet of communal, regional, national, and global peace.
Adjunct Professor of Social Science,
Western Michigan University, retired)

Hello my name is Sirjana and I love words!
I see them as colours visually forming beautiful shapes in front of my eyes when I hear words,
They are particularly bright when I hear something that tugs the strings of my heart.
I therefore live in a colorful reality.

Public speaking is my second love,
I think I am a little vain
maybe a lot,
but more than attention what satisfies my heart
is to make a difference
to make art reach its truest purpose:
to find someone who can appreciate it more than I can.

An engaging and topical performer from Wellington, Ali Jacs is the 2012 New Zealand National Poetry Slam Champion. After getting involved in the spoken word community in the Canadian prairies, Ali returned home to NZ in 2010 and has since played an integral role in building up Wellington’s performance poetry community. In early 2012 she started up the monthly Poetry in Motion evening.

After winning 2nd place in the 2011 NZ National Poetry Slam, she went on to win the 2012 title, has since featured as a guest at the Australian National Poetry Slam and competed in the 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Minneapolis.

Lia Eteuati is a writer and a poet who got lost as a lawyer for over ten years but is in the process of finding her way back from the wilderness. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Creative Writing at the University of Auckland and was awarded the Sir James Wallace Masters of Creative Writing Scholarship on the strength of her writing portfolio. She has been published in a number of different publications, but loves spoken word for its ability to bring poetry to thepeople. She was the runner up in this year’s University of Auckland Poetry Slam 2014 and won the first Auckland heat of the New Zealand Poetry Slam 2014.

Sally Strange-Love is an enigma – to herself.. Questions of Identity and Reality entangle themselves in blue within and outside of her personal space-time continuum.. Finding herself continuously led by some extreme mystic drive to actualisation, Sally Strange-Love skirts the boundaries between art and psychosis in an attempt to evade hypnotic enslavement to a prescribed consensus reality fraught with pathological normality, obsolete political hierarchy and ongoing systemic atrocity.
Sally Strange-Love wishes to inculcate everyone into her Cult of Possibility through concepts of life as poetry in perpetual motion, and poetry as magic in creative chaos. She is set to give Auckland City a taste of her mental state as she stands for the pop-up poetry party, where you too can play a part in The Poetic Revolution..
Involved in POP-UP POETS project and perfoming at http://printablereality.com/events/pop-up-poets/. More info at Facebook page

Glazier in Chch who enjoys poetry. I have no material for various reasons ..but will freelance ..
Freelanced poem. Reads downwards

P is our People approaching a Peek
O how this Outcome is Obviously bleak
E filled Emotions Erupting to seek
T To The Tacit elite
R we now Really a Ruinous Race
Y Yell at the Youth, yet yield at the pace

4 score or more-forefathers often war
P is a Plead to Pursue it no more
E is the Earth-Eternal and pure
A grade Attention to Aid with a cure
C Can recover as the Chaos Can Cease
E stands for Everyone Emitting peace.

Sumona Apsara Parii is a passionate writer and poetess. She is also an International Bharata Natyam (South-Indian Classical Dance) and Bollywood Dancer, as well Choreographer. In addition, she is a yogini (woman who practices yoga), dance and yoga teacher, as well Reiki III Practitioner/Healer.
She travels and performs Bharata Natyam and Bollywood Dance around the world. Sumona has used some of her poetry in her dance presentations–Where she selects harmonious music (that meld nicely with her poems), choreographs dance movements along with facial expressions (interpretive dance), and records readings of her poetry to create a blend of the magic of Poetry Dance, if you will.
In fact, Dance and Poetry are powerful, soulful ways she expresses her emotions of spiritual/devotional love, romantic/soul love, and maternal love; peacefulness, desire, passion and the wonder of beauty.
Her website is www.sumonadance.com

Neomai Mark is a 29 years old N.Z born Tongan teacher living in South Auckland. She has been writing poetry since she was in Intermediate school. A have always been a lover of words, growing up in the diverse environment of South Auckland, she has always associated with people of different backgrounds and belief systems and much of her poetry is about our common humanity and a desire for people to get along and understand each others stories.

Jason Kirk is the author of “Reverb: Poems” and “The Other Whites in South Africa” and the composer of “The Mirror of Simple Souls,” an opera collaboration with librettist and poet Anne Carson. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Michigan, and his writing awards include Hopwood Major and Minor Poetry Prizes. His recent haiku have appeared in successive issues of Synaesthesia Magazine, the paperback anthology Haiku of the Dead, and In My Bed Magazine (Toronto, forthcoming).